13 piped up to “Making Readers Pay More Money For Ebooks Really Isn’t A Good Idea…”

1. Venus Vaughn Posted: Feb 1st, 2010 at 10:07 pm

   1 What does “that’s just not effing cricket” mean? I grew up in a country where we played cricket, so I know what the game is. And I don’t need a translation on ‘effing’. But I’ve never heard the phrase as a whole. Translation?

2. Las Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 2:14 am

   2 I’ve never shopped at Amazon (not for any particular reason, just hasn’t happened) so fwiw… It’s stupid for Macmillan to think they can get away with charging that much for ebooks, but it’s their right to do so…their product, after all. While Amazon’s prices work better for the consumer, it’s still a shit move on their part. They should charge the price that the publisher wants, and when those books don’t sell, well, Macmillan will surely change their tune, won’t they? I’m not one of those “the free market is god!” people but in this case the market should rule.

3. Bev Stephans Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 2:14 am

   3 Every post that I have read so far (I’m getting eyestrain), acts like Amazon is the only online bookseller. If you are a dead-tree books kind of person, there are several to choose from. My only concern is that MacMillan will try their bullying tactics at other online retailers. @Venus Vaughn. If something isn’t “cricket”, it just means it’s not right.

4. veinglory Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 3:42 am

   4 Sometimes the enemy of your enemy is also your enemy. Macmillan will get their from theirs readers, IMHO, not Amazon. Shops do not set recommended retail price.

5. eggs Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 9:01 am

   5 Sounds like Macmillan and Amazon deserve each other. Why is it that booksellers and publishers think it’s ok to treat their customers with such contempt? All genre readers have at one time or another experienced the eye roll at the counter when buying the “trash” that keeps the B&M bookstore afloat, or read the articles where the publishers sorrowfully declare that they must publish our popular trash so they have the money to subsidize Real Literature, or experienced the price-gouging on the ebook that we buy despite the outrageous markup – because we are such keen readers we can’t wait to get to the store. I can’t think of any other business where the best customers are treated with such contempt. Now Macmillan and Amazon are arguing over who gets the screw the reader hardest. Macmillian wants to do it by forcing prices higher and Amazon wants to do it by monopolizing the market to the extent that they will be able to dictate what the market will be. Neither of these options are good for readers or authors, and yet it seems clear that both McM and Amazon are prepared to screw both in their petty war. Morons.

6. Jane Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 3:54 pm

   6 I think that we consumers are the biggest losers in this mess.

7. Cher Gorman Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 3:58 pm

   7 Good ole, Rebecca does hate e-books. Don’t understand why. I should post a comment over there that so far I’ve only been published in e-book. That should really set her off. Cher

8. Mireya Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 6:38 pm

   8 @Cher: she does, and for someone who alleges that she has learned a lot about the publishing industry, she sure is showing a complete and utter lack of understanding as to epublshing. I am still going WTF at some of her statements… including the implication that ebook fans are eveel for not being understanding of the publishers that want to overcharge us for the “privilege” of wanting our books in eformat. They are lucky that the number of readers out there that come online and bother is so small. If the majority of readers were online and bothered to read about the industry and the news related to it, the shit would have hit the fan already.

9. XandraG Posted: Feb 2nd, 2010 at 9:12 pm

   9 Two things: 1. Customers of book publishers are retail buyers, not end readers. The people who decide what books the rest of us will have the opportunity to buy on bookstore shelves. In that respect, Amazon is like another Borders/B&N/Waterstone’s. It wouldn’t be cricket to let B&N set the price they paid for the books from the distributor or publisher. In this, Macmillan is treating Amazon like any other retailer, rather than letting it essentially sublicense electronic distribution/publication rights. 2. Macmillan is counting on people throwing their hands up in disgust and not buying that ebook, because they don’t want the lower-priced ebooks to outsell the hardbacks, which are more profitable for them. They are counting on early adopters/”can’t live without it now!” readers to buy at the higher prices, and then themselves determining when it is time to lower the price.

10. Mireya Posted: Feb 3rd, 2010 at 2:52 am

    10 Well, the snowball effect is here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100203/tc_nm/us_newscorp_amazon Goodbye $9.99 ebook pricing for the equivalent hardcover. I don’t begrudge publishers their right to set prices… but I do think they are making a huge mistake in not giving options to readers of ebooks (at least I haven’t seen anything on the subject of how they plan on setting pricing etc.).

11. Carolyn Posted: Feb 4th, 2010 at 5:06 am

    11 @Mireya, Actually the president of MacMillan has laid out the plan for ebooks that he and other leaders of the big publishers are carrying out: they want to kill ebooks and if they’re not able to do that, they want to delay their popularity for as long as possible. He stated that he doesn’t respect people who don’t put on their coat and go out and purchase an actual book. What he left unstated is that this is all about boosting quarterly profits.

12. Nadia Lee Posted: Feb 4th, 2010 at 5:30 am

    12 I find it interesting that nobody’s mentioning Apple’s motive in all this. Macmillan had never tried to come down on Amazon like this until Apple revealed iPad. (Apple’s been in negotiation with big NY pubs for its iBook store.) I don’t think Macmillan, Apple and Amazon care about maximizing customer value. They’re worried about maximizing their own profit, and they seem willing to stab one another if that’s what it takes.

13. Mireya Posted: Feb 4th, 2010 at 7:31 pm

    13 Thanks Carolyn… and as an ebook fan that makes me feel so “special”. Blame us readers a bit more for the epic fail your business model is turning out to be in this economy why don’t ya. Frankly, I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s the mentality of corporate America.